Work Text:
Buck started to pack his things. He wanted out. He loved Christopher, he always would, but Eddie’s return was a stark reminder of how transactional their relationship had become. Nowhere felt like home anymore.
Athena had decided to sell the house she and Bobby were building. Hen and Karen had officially adopted Mara and were settling back in with Denny. Maddie and Chim had just welcomed their son into the world. Everyone had roots, a place. And Buck? He felt adrift.
He craved that elusive feeling of home, something he'd only had glimpses of.
Now he sat on the beach, his belongings in storage. Eddie had told him to stay, but Buck had lied, said he’d found a new place to live. A white lie to save himself more pain.
He thought of Tommy.
How easily they moved around each other in the kitchen. How Tommy would sit and listen to anything Buck had to say, nodding along with that soft, knowing smile. In Tommy’s embrace, Buck had felt safe. At home.
And then he ghosted him after the funeral. The pain had been too much.
He missed Bobby, the father figure who saw him, loved him, made him feel like he mattered. He remembered Bobby telling him “Tommy is good people.”
Bobby had been right. Tommy wasn’t just good, he was the best.
Buck could sit on that beach for hours and get lost in memories, but he knew what he wanted now. He wanted Tommy. He wanted to prove that it was only ever him. That Tommy was his first, and his last.
He thought of Tommy’s not-so-secret obsession with romance movies. And he got planning.
---
It’s late when Tommy hears the knock at the door.
The rain is gentle but steady. The sky long dark. He’s just come off a grueling 48-hour shift and had sent Evan yet another text, hoping, praying, for some kind of reply.
When he opens the door, he sees Evan, grinning, soaked to the bone, and holding up cue cards.
The first reads:
“Say it’s carolers.”
Tommy arches a brow. “Evan, it’s July.”
Buck’s grin widens. He taps his phone, and music from Tommy’s favorite movie, Love Actually, begins to play. Then he drops the first cue card.
“I’m sorry for everything.”
Tommy opens his mouth to speak, but Evan shakes his head and drops the next card.
“I think you should know something.”
Tommy’s heart kicks up a beat.
“You are stubborn, scared, and you hurt me.”
Tommy’s eyes begin to sting.
“But I’m also stubborn, hot-headed, and I hurt you.”
A lump forms in Tommy’s throat.
“We need to communicate better.”
Tommy laughs, wet and sharp and real.
“But most importantly...”
“I want you to know...”
“I am in love with you, Tommy Kinard.”
“You are my first AND my last.”
“I choose you. Now, forever, and always.”
“Tommy, you are the one for me.”
Rain pours between them, but neither of them move, both crying now, though it’s impossible to tell what’s rain and what’s tears.
Then the final card:
“P.S. Please let me in. It’s very wet out here.”
Tommy lets out a choked laugh and surges forward, wrapping his arms around Buck and kissing him deeply. When they part, they rest their foreheads together, the rain still falling softly around them.
“We still need to talk,” Buck whispers. “About everything. I want it all on the table, Tommy. You’re my heart. I don’t want anyone else.”
Tommy nods, eyes shining. “I love you too, Evan. Come in. Let’s talk.”
They walk into the house together, and for the first time in a long time, both of them know:
They’ve finally found their home.